England are given a mauling

Clive Woodward and Rudi Straeuli, the respective head coaches of England and South Africa, found themselves in danger yesterday of being drawn into rows of different proportions ahead of tomorrow's crucial Pool C game at the Subiaco Oval here. One is little more than hot air; the other is very much a hot potato.

Woodward's side were accused by no less an icon in these parts than John Eales, of using illegal tactics in their execution of the rolling maul. The saint denouncing England as sinners is big news in Australia and was splashed across the front of national newspapers.

Straeuli, meanwhile, was preparing to face yet another volley of criticism from back home in South Africa after demoting the non-white prop Lawrence Sephaka to the bench, one of four changes to the Springbok side.

It was a forthright decision given that the squad had been embroiled in a racism scandal just prior to their departure. Wing Ashwin Willemse is now the only non-white player in the starting line-up. Super 12 sides are obliged to field two non-whites.

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"There has been a lot of reaction to the news already and a lot of it is very negative," said the former Springbok wing Chester Williams, the symbol of the Rainbow Nation in the 1995 World Cup, from South Africa yesterday. "It's a World Cup, though, and coaches have to listen to themselves and not to other people."

Woodward will not be spending any time listening to what Eales has had to say and certainly not to the follow-up comments of the Wallaby coach Eddie Jones, who could not resist a heaven-sent opportunity to send a few darts winging across to the west coast from his team's base at Coffs Harbour. "You'd have to say that Eales has a point," Jones said. "His comments are very insightful."

Eales was asked to reflect on the power of the English driving game, a potent part of their forward weaponry seen tellingly in Melbourne in June when the English pack marched the Wallabies 40 metres downfield. It was a humbling experience. One possible shakedown of games over the next month is that England and Australia might meet in the World Cup final. It's never too soon to get your retaliation in first.

Eales pinpointed the way that England position Neil Back at the rear of the maul, with a phalanx of forwards in front of him to protect the ball from opposition clutches.

"Effectively what he is doing is being shepherded," Eales said. "It's certainly the equivalent of obstruction and it's the equivalent of a decoy play in the backline. It's exactly the same, except that it's in close."

Referee Paddy O'Brien frequently penalised the Uruguayan pack in last week's game against South Africa for what he described as "truck and trailer", tactics: that is, sending a blocking bunch of forwards up ahead with the ball-carrier being trailed along behind. The maul is, of course, legal. The fine line is to whether the rear man is bound or not. If he is not, then Eales has no doubt as to what should happen. "The referee should give a penalty because it is clearly obstruction."

England will not be changing their approach. "We have never given away penalties for our play there," Andy Robinson, the England coach, said. "It's about sustaining the drive. It's never been an issue."

Straeuli will be raising the matter with the match referee, Australian Peter Marshall. "We'll be dealing with a lot of issues when we meet with him on Friday," Straeuli said. "The maul is quite a strong weapon of England's and Back scores a lot of tries there."

Straeuli has his captain, Corne Krige, back in harness after the flanker missed last week's game through injury. Jorrie Muller returns in the centre to partner De Wet Barry after Jaque Fourie was ruled out through injury. Full-back Jaco van der Westhuyzen is preferred at full-back, while loosehead Christo Bezuidenhout gets his first start ahead of Sephaka. The contentious decision, but one which has a rugby logic in opting for the stronger scrummager, was supposedly cleared with South Africa's sports minister, Ngconde Balfour.

Woodward has no such pressures. His only minor anxiety lay in seeing his substitute scrum-half, Kyran Bracken, have a light run-out yesterday morning, so confirming his fitness.